EXTINCTION
by Neil Davies1
Summary: What if someone where stealing your mind a memory at a time, all the good stuff. This is happening to Kate unless the Doctor can find her in time.


9

**EXTINCTION**

Five year old Katie gazed up through the curved turquoise shield of her dome at the dark purple sky of Mimas. It was never totally day or totally night on Mimas but Katie found the sky relaxing, restful. She was so happy, it had been a brilliant day; mummy and daddy were so proud of her and she was proud of herself.

Fancy being the youngest person ever to be accepted by the media academy, Katie had always wanted to be a writer she loved telling stories and now she was going to be a journalist it was the bestest job in the universe.

"Our little brain box," dad had said ruffling her hair, "You'll go a long way, who knows you might even end up working for GalNet."

Katie wasn't sure what GalNet was but it sounded like a really big deal and she hugged herself waiting a transporter coming down from high orbit, it was a big like a large green dragonfly the way its wings unfolded and buzzed. Perhaps one day she'd fly on such a craft being carried off across the heavens.

She felt someone behind her but she couldn't turn to see who it was because she couldn't move, it was like being in a dream. It wasn't daddy because it didn't smell of his cologne; she sensed a tall dark figure who shouldn't have been there and felt afraid, no longer such a big girl with a bright future.

The visitor touched her head and his fingers went right through her flesh into her brain to pluck something out; something she'd never get back, like this memory.

The console purred and sighed like a huge electronic cat, it sounded serene and content not at all like the man hunched over it his face a picture of concentration his eyes gleaming with anger and despair. Rapidly his fingers played controls causing screens to flash different colours to throw up different configurations but none of them where what he was looking for.

In the tubular glass filaments of the time rotor a ghostly face hovered, a girl with shoulder length blond hair she was pretty with a puck nose and full lips, her eyes dancing with merriment and mischief. In her early twenties she was studying the Doctor her head canted onto one side as if amused by his efforts.

Skeetering to another terminal on the many sided central hub of his ship the tall grey haired man jabbed buttons and pursed his lips, where was she where could she be and why wasn't he finding her, surely she'd done what he'd asked and switched the sonic screwdriver to locator mode.

Damn, she'd been teleported away right in front of his eyes and there had been nothing he could do just watch helplessly ass he vanished along with the black cowled figure by her side, a being he was completely unfamiliar with but who obviously knew where to find him.

"Come on Doctor," he remonstrated with himself, "Call yourself a time lord," it shouldn't be this hard, the universe was his play thing how easily he traversed it hoping back and forth through time like it was second nature which it was.

Kate Ash just one person, she shouldn't be too hard to find she was after all his current companion, she'd been with him for a while now facing one peril after another and…and he had an idea.

Leaping to the telepathic circuit's two grey pads just big enough to place his hands on he pressed down, if he could use them to contact his other selves, other time lords, even other tardises then surely they would link him to a companion; it was worth a try.

No need to picture Kate he could see her face clearly before him swimming in coloured glass as gorgeous as ever, so young so alive.

Where are you, he willed, I need a location help me.

Nothing, a total blank, he tried again.

Where are you, he extended his psyche, come on Kate link with me distance doesn't matter if I'm in the tardis.

Still a blank it was like she was shielded from him her thoughts blocked.

Then he felt something in his left pocket, carefully he took the object out, a ring, Kate's ring, she'd dropped it during their last adventure and he'd picked it up to give it back only he hadn't gotten the chance.

The Psycho Telemeter was a high glass dish on three thin crystal rods that glowed a soft orange; he dropped the ring into it. If he couldn't find Kate maybe the tardis could and he felt power surge through the console, meters shift, digital displays flicker and the face in the time rotor alter, blur and morph into a black hood, a hood through which two flat red Perspex eye shields gazed out at him.

Who and what are you thought the Doctor, what game are you playing, why take Kate and not me am I not the bigger prize, or is Kate just the lure to reel me in the bait to catch a bigger fish.

"I'm coming Kate just hang on I'll find you I promise."

Eighteen years old and keen as mustard, scared to though in fact her knees were shaking. This was it the 'big one' the interview she'd been preparing for all her life, she was in the cavernous semi circular hub of GalNet surrounded by a million screens, a billion modems and the place where the hottest reporters in the galaxy worked.

GalNet the galactic internet beamed to over 3000 worlds, home to every webpage, video, article, feature and piece of gossip worth seeing. Humans read it, aliens read it hell even androids read it; there was a rumour that even the daleks had a homepage on GalNet although Kate had never been able to find it.

Yeah right as if those homicidal, xenophobic pepper pots would be online.

"Ms Ash," trilled the voice of a drone and she was led into an office by a hovering metal sphere the size of her eyeballs, "The editor will see you now."

But the figure waiting for her didn't look like an editor not in that black hood with black gloves and red Perspex eye shields. He rose extending a hand, not to take her hand but to reach into her head her skull and pluck something free, another memory, this memory; he was taking everything she treasured the best moments of her life.

Clenching his teeth and rapping a knuckle on the edge of the console with impatience the Doctor realised that his current self was neither tolerant nor easy going not like some of his past lives with their banter and acceptance, he was more severe, sharper tongued, less willing to accept failure even from his beloved tardis.

The tardis had stalled come to a halt in the vortex it was in short confused, it had been homing in on a signal a psyche and then it had been 'bounced' back repelled in some way putting it in hover mode.

Why thought the Doctor who could be this powerful, strong enough to bounce a tardis to defeat a Psycho Telemeter, his Psycho Telemeter?

What did he try next did he hit the console like some of his former selves, did he rant, meditate, throw an emergency power lever or make the cloister bell ring?

Kate had been taken out of normal space that much was obvious maybe taken out of time itself so what kind of being was he dealing with a rogue time lord, an eternal, a gelf?

Grabbing the ring back he turned it over in his fingers and touched his new sonic screwdriver to it, the tip flashing bluish green then turning maroon. The ring held Kate's personal vibration; she'd worn it since her teens it was infused with her psionic print and his best bet of finding her.

He altered frequencies going from low to high and back again covering a wide spectrum and then on a screen flashed up _alien transmat_ and the cold blue eyes of the time lord flashed, of course the transmat beam used to grab Kate; he was focusing on the wrong thing.

All teleporters had a unique signature an energetic residue it was this that would lead him to the black hood not Kate; he set to work.

She couldn't believe she was walking into the News Hub the heart of GalNet, around her people sat with their brains wired to plasma screens she saw humans, clones, draconians, silurians and even some species she was totally unfamiliar with. Leading her into the hub was a very tall silver skinned girl with gills each side of her narrow neck she'd said her name was Jess but sure she wasn't human.

"Your work station will be over here," she pointed to a spot inbetween a handsome blond humanoid guy and a squat drac with hostile green eyes constantly narrowed with distrust.

The suddenly warbling noise was accompanied by one entire wall lighting up to reveal an expanse of deep space in which floated a curious structure of linked cubes and spheres all the same egg shell colour it was the Taridon Array a vast communications relay system beaming signals from home gal to the Meta quadrant.

Amazingly it seemed to be on fire with some of the structures glowing and fizzing, as Kate watched a few vaporised.

Jess turned with panic on her face as a loud speaker voice announced, "Array under attack by unknown terrorist forces, we need a reporter on site at once."

Everyone looked up but Jess was gazing right at Kate as she was the only reporter not assigned, she said "You'll have to go."

Kate couldn't believe it she was a rookie totally untested and she was being handed the biggest, hottest story on a plate.

"Me," she stammered trying to think of a suitable excuse.

"We can get you out there in under an hour, here take my personal shuttle," Jess offered an activator key.

Dizzy with fear and delight Kate took the key as she did a strange gloved hand reached into the back of her skull and tore the memory away plucking it free with ease robbing her of the great moment; she felt herself weep with frustration.

The vortex was a dangerous place to navigate even for a tardis it could twist and gulp, surge and spasm if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time the temporal winds could rip you apart. Many an early tardis had been lost like this and the Doctor had come close to disaster a few times.

Even so he'd found what he was looking for a kink, a dent, an opening from the vortex into a pocket of sub-space, it wasn't very large and it wasn't going to be easy to reach even with the complex calculations he was now feeding into the main console at high speed, his fingers a blur as they tried to keep up with his thought processes.

If he got this wrong the tardis might impact with the fiery heart of the vortex and be sucked inside out, not a nice way to go. Little wonder sweat beaded his high flow and made his lips quiver.

Alright then this was it he threw a lever and gripped hold of the console with all his strength, the small blue box looped sideways, flipped over, bounced three times and sank alarmingly it missed the kink and flew insanely in a figure eight pattern.

The Doctor closed his eyes he had to trust that his algorithms were correct and the old girl knew what was expected of her that she understood his motivations.

Behind him a roundel burst from its socket to reveal a bright red filament that hissed and crackled, two more roundels also blasted loose causing the Doctor to duck low, smoke bled from the panel to his right, flames from the one on his left, iridescent sparks belched from the top of the time rotor which juddered alarmingly, its colour scheme fluctuating to dark greens and purples before returning to a normal hue.

The tardis spun back, flipped again and cascaded from side to side as if caught in a violent time eddy which of course they were, then the kink loomed on the main viewer larger now, deeper less of a dent and more of an aperture. Yes he thought this is it I've done it, then the viewer became a snow storm of winking pixels, something exploded on the console and smoke filled the air.

Red lights flashed at him turning his face crimson, he almost lost his nerve almost, one hand firmly pushed a lever up, come on Doctor you can do it this is for Kate after all she needs you and you need her.

The small blue box circuited the kink twice then plunged into its luminous throat.

Kate awoke she took a deep breath and tried to move her limbs but she couldn't, she was crouched inside something curved and transparent sort of egg shaped, there was a device embedded in her left temple deep into her brain by the feel of it, a black cable looped from it to the skin of the egg and out to a cylindrical device not unlike a big larva lamp it even had globs of oil rising and falling inside it.

Elsewhere in the vast room were machines and devices she couldn't even begin to describe, tall winding contraptions, boxes and pyramids many of which seemed to be prisms rather than actual computers they cast out weird rainbow patterns of lights.

The darkly clad and hooded figure was poised over one of these, he suddenly turned to look at her alerted by a high pitched whine she couldn't see his face just these two red dots for eyes. Rapidly he moved over to the outside of the egg peering down at readings then he straightened his whole frame tense.

"Bastard," Kate forced the word out over a stiff tongue and dry throat, "You're stealing my past," she croaked able to feel the dark yawning gaps in her memory like raw wounds where experiences had been surgically removed.

Not speaking the dark robed alien moved to the larva lamp peering intently at this fascinated by the moving oil if it was oil and Kate was beginning to doubt it; was this where her memories had gone could they take on physical form?

"Something's gone wrong hasn't it," she gulped as her stiff body ached from being in one position for too long, "I shouldn't be awake should I, system malfunction is it have you blown a gasket?"

The two red dots rose to regard her displaying no emotion of any kind but from his sudden movements the alien had been galvanised into action; taking heart from this Kate tried to shift her gummed up joints and something dug into her right buttock cheek, it was long and rigid, cool and metallic. Her chest burst with a flower of joy, the sonic screwdriver she still had it. The Doctor had wanted her to do something with it but she hadn't been able to hear his shouted command.

"You won't keep me in here," she yelled defiantly more for her benefit than her captor, "I'll find a way out," she squirmed again feeling circulation return to her calf muscles, "And the Doctor will find you."

A cool, artificial sibilant voice issued from outside the glass egg it didn't sound remotely natural produced by vocal cords but something manufactured possibly synthesized.

"That is my intention," said the alien and the red dots seemed to flash a degree brighter.

"If you wanted him then why teleport me here," Kate demanded?

"That is not important now my device performed its task," the voice echoed.

"Why are you raping my mind and stealing memories," Kate clenched her fists looking at the larva lamp, "Are they in there?"

The hooded figure backed away distracted, lights were winking on another of his devices and an oval screen showed another location some dark corner of this bizarre domain, something was appearing out of thin air taking form and soon Kate was smiling at a very familiar shape.

With one hand she reached behind herself to touch the sonic, one memory she still had was the Doctor's silent voice repeating something it was time to focus in on this and lip read.

Just beyond the musty alcove lit by weak grey bars were a collection of strange objects, the Doctor bent over to study them thinking they looked like big larva lamps only these lamps did not containing moving oily blobs just an opaque fluid.

Showing his teeth he moved along the shelf that held them, "Psionic induction capacitors," he remarked recognising the old technology, old and illegal, banned on almost every civilised world aeons ago but clearly in use here. It gave him a slightly better idea who and what he was dealing with as did the stark architecture, all washed out greys, creams and greens populated here and there by the odd alien symbol from an archaic language he hadn't seen in a while.

When a door hissed open invitingly he knew he'd been detected, the wall mounted monopticon had hummed lightly with power its tear shaped eye flickering in the gloom. All right so he was expected, squaring his back he walked through the door, mist clung to his ankles and from the smell of it this had a medical function.

A couple of yards beyond the first door was a second, this opened to reveal a wide room and at the bar end squatted inside a big glass egg was a fear streaked but expectant face.

"Doctor," the mouthed mimed for no sound escaped the egg.

The Doctor held up 5 fingers then 3 and then 4 saying not a word, Kate nodded her understanding and he was relieved to see she still had the sonic.

A swish of fabric to his left alerted him to the presence of the hooded figure, taller and wider than him its twin red dots fixed on his forehead.

"A shadowself," he muttered with disapproval, "I thought so, I was sure your race had become extinct centuries ago or maybe I just hoped so," there was little civility in the Doctor's tone more a weary resignation, "I assume Kate is the lure to bring me here well it worked here I am, shall we get on with whatever it is you want to do to me. If it's my memories you're after you're in for a long haul."

Not speaking the strange ecclesiastical figure glided across the room to the larva lamp only this one did have plasma bubbling away inside of it.

"A psionic induction capacitor, not only illegal but highly immoral, presumably those at my friend's memories floating around in there; what do you call it – harvesting," the Doctor's voice had risen now, "Return them at once."

A gloved hand moved over a sensor and Kate's voice burst from the egg strident and breathy, "He was inside my mind my memories."

Nodding that he knew this the time lord moved up alongside the tall alien, "I can't let this continue," he spoke matter of factly as though they were having a friendly chat and he was offering advice.

"You can do nothing to stop it," the voice echoed.

An eyebrow arched, "You think not?"

"I am not alone Doctor," fabric swished and from other corners of the room other cowled figures emerged some as large as the first others smaller, shadowselves all with the same red dots for eyes yet many of these dots were quite faint and in some cases they flickered like bulbs of low wattage.

"A conclave," the Doctor remarked, "They look sickly to me, hungry I'd say. You see Kate these creatures feed on psionic energy because they have none of their own, long ago their minds burned out after an insane psychic war and since then they've had to leech off other minds."

Face reflecting disgust the reporter tapped the skin of her prison with the head of the sonic, "Vampires," she said and a smile flickered briefly on the Doctor's lips.

"Vampires," he savoured the word, "Yes that's as good a description as any, but the problem for the shadowselves is that they have to feed on ever stronger and fuller minds, a bit like a junkie needing an ever stronger fix to get high."

"You mock us," the first alien hissed now showing a degree of offence, "But you are correct in one regard we do need a more sophisticated psyche," he waved at Kate, "This girl is little more than a snack and a rather low calorie one."

Oh thanks Kate's features reflected and she hoisted the sonic clearly keen to use it, not yet said the quick glance she got in return, the Doctor was busy assessing the situation his eyes devouring the technology working out what he was seeing, he was also paying attention to the clutch of shadowy figures crowding around him, very few of whom seemed to have much physical vigour, it was their leader who seemed the most active.

"I can't let you feast on my psyche," he said, "Nor can you hang onto Kate, there are other sources of psionic power."

A glove waved dismissively, "Living minds are the most flavoursome the more enriching."

"But your process kills them drains them, I can't condone that nor can I allow you to abduct a steady stream of victims."

"Allow," the leader rasped, "We do not require your permission."

Not arguing the time lord circled Kate's oval prison, his mind was whirling at high speed trying to come up with options and strategies. He was physically more robust than any of those hooded ghouls apart from the leader but he knew that this wouldn't be a fight decided by athleticism.

"I'm the last of the time lords, where would you go after me?"

"You are not the last Doctor there are others, we can feel their minds their thoughts."

Feeling a quickening of his hearts at the prospect of finding Gallifrey the Doctor tried not to let this show on his face, "If that is true and I'm not convinced the only way to get them is to go through me first."

A small hatch opened on a flat panel, up through this rose another of the Psionic Induction capacitors this one was the biggest so far twice the size of the models seen so far, it was an economy model industrial strength and clearly designed for a very special brain.

"Oh I am flattered," trilled the Doctor, "A capacitor with extra capacity, are you sure it's big enough to hold all my oil?"

"We shall see won't we," said the leader turning to the grey haired man his gloves held wide but palms facing, light danced between them an arcing crackle of power.

"I'm not an easy fish to land," he was told, "My mind is very advanced, I've trained with several gurus."

"Feeble intellects and you will not resist us for long for we are many minds united in a common purpose."

The thin face lit up, "Oh I do love a good gestalt," the Doctor joked his light-hearted tone masking the deep concern he felt, would he be strong enough to take on all of these creatures, even in their weakened state they made a formidable opponent?

"Doctor," Kate's vice was a question?

"Not yet," touching his temples the time traveller took a deep breath he had to remember what he'd learned in Tibet and on the mountain near his home; what he'd been taught by the Venusian adepts and the esoteric secrets of the Sense Sphere.

Even so he felt alien minds nudge his own the invasion had begun, not an invasion with ships and weapons but one of thought, of will, a secret, silent battle with his mind as the prize, memories gathered over many lives. Deep within his mind a soft blue light began to pulsate gaining in strength with each second, it was the light of the Metabelis crystal and it was coming to his aid being now wired into his cerebral cortex.

He felt he was ready that he could handle any attack, until it began!

Pain lanced into his skull from the sides, the top and even below agonizing psychic needles that bored deeply into his consciousness.

No he thought you cannot do this to me I'm a time lord I'm the Doctor you are just withered, burnt out husks.

But the husks persisted probing ever deeper seeking sweet memories, proud moments and happiness to feast on.

The Doctor was being held by someone softly cooing at him, she smelled fabulous and her skin was so smooth. The woman had green eyes and fair hair, her bone structure was sharp and aristocratic in nature. She stroked his head and sang to him a soft lullaby, he felt tiny and helpless in her arms.

Nearby a man watched he was tall with collar length dark hair and piercing blue eyes, from him radiated immense pride and love for his son.

The woman was human but the man…he was from Gallifrey a time lord.

Part of the Doctor's mind detached from the memory to view it impassively

_These are my parents, this is soon after my birth, I was born on earth to a human woman and a time lord father. No wonder I feel so at home on earth why I keep visiting it and protecting it, earth is my birth home, I'm half-human._

The man was speaking slowly to the woman explaining that he would soon have to leave and return home, he asked her to go with him to Gallifrey to help raise their son there.

"He'll have a better quality of life there Verity, he'll learn so much more than he would on this planet plus he'll be safer."

The woman continued to coo at her baby and pet his head, of course her name was Verity and she was a nurse. The Doctor felt only overwhelming love for these 2 people but as it swelled to a crescendo he felt a force enter his mind, a grasping, avaricious, possessive claw trying to rip the memory free.

"No" he mentally cried, "I'm not so easy to violate you can't forage around in my past stealing here and robbing there, pinching precious moments like apples."

The voice of the shadowself leader responded, "We can Doctor, there is so much for us here so many happy memories and treasured recollections spread over centuries."

"Well you're not having this one, my parents died when I was still young I have so little of them in my mind and you're not getting it."

A low purr of laughter greeted this, "You cannot resist us, nobody can."

The Doctor's mouth spoke next not his mind because he was talking to Kate and to her he said just one word – now.

Pressing the sonic against the skin of her glass prison Kate thumbed it to its highest setting and the tip glowed brilliant lime, a lime that filled the glass and extended beyond it to the ring of hooded figures crowded around a seated form, sonic energy cut into them but it their victim who drew strength from it using it to bolster his own psionic gifts.

"Get out," he grunted through clenched teeth his face a portrait of pain and effort, "Get out of my mind."

A low wail escaped the hooded aliens it was one of despair and frustration, they staggered back clutching their heads.

At the same time Kate saw flaws and fractures appear in her glass egg, a spidery pattern of cracks spread outwards from the tip of the sonic clinking and popping as the oval prison began to degrade.

A hole appeared as the glass burst outwards and she extended her arm through it towards the Doctor giving him another burst of octaves.

Eyes flicking open he gave a short smile, "Out you go" he muttered, "Out of my mind I repel you."

The shadowselves collapsed moaning and howling, going to the nearest the time lord whipped away its hood to reveal – nothing, no head, no skin, no physical form at all just two red dots in a sea of swirling vapour it was more like a ghost than a living being as there was no solid matter no muscle or ligament.

Then the ghostly form dispersed totally leaving its cloak empty, one by one the other shadows went the same way bursting and dispersing into the air.

"Phantasms," the Doctor snarled, "Just echoes of evil from the past and that's where you all belong."

He went over to Kate who was kicking the remains of the glass egg aside, it shattered easily as if the glass had no cohesion, "Are they dead," she asked, "Where they ever alive," she looked around seeing the larva lamp, "My memories."

Picking this up carefully and studying the plasma inside the Doctor swiftly detached some wires holding the lamp to its base, "Your memories are still alive Kate, but we have to get them back to the tardis before they fade or you'll never reabsorb them."

Wiping her eyes she just nodded hoping her happy moments weren't lost forever, that the aching gaps in her mind could be refilled.

"What about the shadows," she asked gazing at the empty cloaks littering the floor?

"I'll show you," he said leading her out into the corridor where the old Psionic induction capacitors remained only now there was movement inside their opaque liquid - blobs of dark matter throbbing sluggishly just barely alive. Kate was astonished, "Is that them," she felt an urge to dash the lamps to the floor smashing them, "Do we just leave them like this?"

The time lord nodded, "They can't do any harm in that state."

"What about their technology?"

"I'm going to deactivate it so they can't reach out to infect anyone else."

She nodded happy about that, "What memory of yours did they access Doctor?"

The twinkle in his eye and the set of his lips made it plain he wasn't going to answer that one.


End file.
